Setting up!

[Hikari]

So, reptile expo is in a few days on Nov. 5th, and I figured I needed to start getting everything set-up now that I've finished my tank stand. Thought I'd let y'all take a look at my set-up progress as I prepare, and see if I'm doing things correctly. I have a corn snake already, that I've had for two years now, so I'm not completely new to snake keeping, but a BP is a little more demanding in the temp and humidity department, so I think it's just an ever so slight step-up from my beginner corn.

Anyways, I figured I'd start with a "bare bones" set-up to see how my tank handles temps without any substrate, and to test all the temp-controlling devices. Here's what's set up so far:

- Zilla 20g Long terrarium (the one with the sliding, lockable lid). Tank has background cling on the back, and I used foamcore board to blackout the sides.
- 11x11 Reptitherm heat mat, paired with Jumpstart thermostat. Used an extra piece of coreboard to slide under it to direct heat better.
- 60w CHE in a Fluker's dimmable ceramic lamp w/ Zoo Med lamp stand.
- Digi thermometer, digi thermometer/hygrometer, and crappy analog thermometer to test. The latter's not too bad (slightly low, but only 3°F off), and will only be used as temporary back-up if disaster befalls a digital thermometer.

And a pic for reference:



The hot side is holding between 88-90°F, which I can easily bump up if need be. The Jumpstart's working like a champ (set at 91°F). The cooler side under the lamp is currently hovering around the 82°F mark with the lamp going all out (so much for needing the dimmer, lol). The humidity's dropped like a rock though. Already at 50%. Definitely gonna need to add the cypress mulch to keep that up. I need to bake it in the oven first though. Bought a big bag of it from Home Depot, so there might be creepy-crawlies in it, but the price was waaaay cheaper than the pet-store stuff so worth the trouble.

Stuff I have that hasn't been added yet include the cypress mulch, water dish, hides, fake plants, reptile hammocks (the corn snake likes them, figured I'll give the BP one), and cardboard tubes, just so you know what all I have

Anyways, so far so good?

[tttaylorrr]

sounds like you're on the right track! can't wait to see the rest of it set up, and a snake in there!

[SDA]

I have that same background!

The only thing you may eventually need to do is block off most of the screen top to hold in humidity if it still drops with the substrate. You can use foil, plexiglass, towels, or other creative means ot keep humidity in.

Otherwise looks really good and the foamcore is a nice touch. So far so good!

[Sunnieskys]

Take the round temp gauge out. It has a sticky back. Nothing sticky goes into the tank. Plus they have a range not accurate of + - 10 degrees.

[Hikari]

I have that same background!

The only thing you may eventually need to do is block off most of the screen top to hold in humidity if it still drops with the substrate. You can use foil, plexiglass, towels, or other creative means ot keep humidity in.

Otherwise looks really good and the foamcore is a nice touch. So far so good!

Thanks! I love that background. Just sad I had to cut a good chunk off to get it to fit the tank, but it still looks good. And yeah, I was really happy with how well the coreboard worked with the tank. Looks good, and doubles as an insulator. For the top, I'll try foil first since it's cheap and I already have some, and see how well it keeps the humidity in. I'd prefer something light, since the top of that thing can't handle a lot of weight on it.

Take the round temp gauge out. It has a sticky back. Nothing sticky goes into the tank. Plus they have a range not accurate of + - 10 degrees.

No worries, it's safe. The sticky bit isn't on the back (threw it away the day I bought it, never planned to use it). Anyways, I was only testing it to see how accurate it was (it averages about 3°F cooler than the digital probe, so it's not too bad). It's merely a back-up, in case a digital one breaks.

---

Anyways, thanks for the feedback so far. Tomorrow I'll have time to bake some substrate and get this thing looking habitable!

[Hikari]

Ok, so here's where I'm at so far. Substrate has been added, warm hide, (empty) water dish, and the heat has been running for the day. They weren't kidding when they said cypress mulch holds humidity. It went from 97% down to 81%, which I'm actually happy since I've heard it can get TOO humid for a BP as well.



A few things I wonder. Sometimes the warm hide spikes up to 94°F with the thermostat set to 91°...I bumped the thermostat down to 90° to compensate. The probe is still right up against the glass like it was on the dry run, very lightly surrounded by substrate. I'm guessing the hide is helping hold the heat in? I just don't want it to get TOO hot. Meanwhile ambient at the cool side probe is currently 82°...not sure if that's too warm or not. It didn't seem warm enough at first so I lowered the heat lamp a bit closer, but now it seems too hot @.@ This is why I'm glad I'm doing a test run.

Also, something I noticed while handling the mulch...it's quite, umm, pokey? Like, if you run your hand over it when it's loose and hit a certain piece the wrong way, it feels bluntly sharp? Seems fine now that it's laying flat, but should I be concerned, or is this kind of mulch normally like that sometimes? This is the commercial bulk stuff after all, and while I know some people have used it, I'm starting to wonder if I should. Granted, I seem to find a lot of wood-based substrate rather pokey and hard on my hands, even shredded aspen (which is fine for my corn)...maybe it's just my hands being too sensitive? I just don't want my future noodle getting hurt. From the pic though, how does the mulch look too y'all?

Anyways, as always, any feedback is appreciated. Once the details are worked out at this level, it'll be time to finish decorating!

[Sunnieskys]

Ok, so here's where I'm at so far. Substrate has been added, warm hide, (empty) water dish, and the heat has been running for the day. They weren't kidding when they said cypress mulch holds humidity. It went from 97% down to 81%, which I'm actually happy since I've heard it can get TOO humid for a BP as well.



A few things I wonder. Sometimes the warm hide spikes up to 94°F with the thermostat set to 91°...I bumped the thermostat down to 90° to compensate. The probe is still right up against the glass like it was on the dry run, very lightly surrounded by substrate. I'm guessing the hide is helping hold the heat in? I just don't want it to get TOO hot. Meanwhile ambient at the cool side probe is currently 82°...not sure if that's too warm or not. It didn't seem warm enough at first so I lowered the heat lamp a bit closer, but now it seems too hot @.@ This is why I'm glad I'm doing a test run.

Also, something I noticed while handling the mulch...it's quite, umm, pokey? Like, if you run your hand over it when it's loose and hit a certain piece the wrong way, it feels bluntly sharp? Seems fine now that it's laying flat, but should I be concerned, or is this kind of mulch normally like that sometimes? This is the commercial bulk stuff after all, and while I know some people have used it, I'm starting to wonder if I should. Granted, I seem to find a lot of wood-based substrate rather pokey and hard on my hands, even shredded aspen (which is fine for my corn)...maybe it's just my hands being too sensitive? I just don't want my future noodle getting hurt. From the pic though, how does the mulch look too y'all?

Anyways, as always, any feedback is appreciated. Once the details are worked out at this level, it'll be time to finish decorating!

Your thermostat probe is on the inside of the tank? It goes between the uth and the glass on the outside. It never goes inside.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

[Hikari]

Your thermostat probe is on the inside of the tank? It goes between the uth and the glass on the outside. It never goes inside.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

Ah, I should have clarified which probes. My bad. The probe in the tank is the thermometer probe. My set-up basically goes from the bottom: heat mat > thermostat probe > glass > thermometer probe> then substrate and hide. I've got that all worked out. Just trying to get things situated temp, humidity, and substrate-wise before getting the snake. I've had a change of plans though, and decided to order the snake online instead, so I'll have a little bit more time to set-up. I don't want to wait too long though, as the place I want to buy from won't ship if it gets too cold, and I live in Ohio, so I'll probably try for this week.

[Sunnieskys]

Ah, I should have clarified which probes. My bad. The probe in the tank is the thermometer probe. My set-up basically goes from the bottom: heat mat > thermostat probe > glass > thermometer probe> then substrate and hide. I've got that all worked out. Just trying to get things situated temp, humidity, and substrate-wise before getting the snake. I've had a change of plans though, and decided to order the snake online instead, so I'll have a little bit more time to set-up. I don't want to wait too long though, as the place I want to buy from won't ship if it gets too cold, and I live in Ohio, so I'll probably try for this week.

Are you using the inside probe for ambient? The one for the uth should be enough. If you using it for ambient temp I would have it hanging or on th e side and don't use tape. If you have it inside then your snake will move it, pee, or poop on it so it's not a good idea to have it under the substrate.

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[Hikari]

Are you using the inside probe for ambient? The one for the uth should be enough. If you using it for ambient temp I would have it hanging or on th e side and don't use tape. If you have it inside then your snake will move it, pee, or poop on it so it's not a good idea to have it under the substrate.

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The second probe on the right is for cool side temp & humidity. Would it be best to keep it up above the substrate then? I mean, I'm not too concerned with it getting messed on. Those probes are waterproof. Anytime my corn's made a mess on one, it just got cleaned with the rest of the stuff. I suppose if I wanted it for ambient, it would make more sense to leave it up a bit higher. I'd be out of a thermometer for the cool side substrate though. Do I need a third thermometer?